That would be Consortium News’ Robert Parry, who cautions us that:
“Not since the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq has Official Washington’s political/punditry class clamored more single-mindedly – and openly – for the U.S. government to commit a gross violation of international law, now urging a major military assault on the government of Syria while also escalating tensions with nuclear-armed Russia.”
It started with Ronnie: Paul Campos at Salon describes the way that Reagan ushered in the valorization of stupidity and ignorance as supreme political credentials–thus making the least qualified, most ignorant and dangerous candidates the coolest and most electable.
Long before our “mainstream” broadcast media gave Trump billions of dollars of free advertising, it had made Trump inevitable by choosing to chronicle elections as cute popularity contests, and assiduously avoiding discussions of issues. The reality show scam has made it considerably more dangerous: much of our electorate literally cannot tell the difference between a political candidate and a commercial broadcast persona. Persona has always been key to electing leaders, but the broadcast media has now made it the primary criteria on the part of much of the electorate.
Lynne D. Schneider at AlterNet breaks down the reasons why our country is breaking down as a result of its obdurate refusal to separate Trump fact from Trump TV reality-show-idol fiction.
And remember; the broadcast networks get the use of our airwaves gratis, and no questions asked. We are subsidizing their assault on democracy.
A friend talking about something on youtube: “she dances a Spanish thing with some bloke and a bunch of other folks in costumes.”
Paring things down to the artichoke!
Will it take the descendants of slaves to save liberty in this country?
I went to a Baptist funeral over the weekend, saying goodbye to the mother of childhood friends. It was incredible seeing people I hadn’t seen in 40 years!
Almost everyone there was African-American. And it was heartening that the pastor was fulminating against Trump in his eulogy of the deceased. And it was completely relevant, since the deceased herself was politically active and politically outspoken.
because you want to be in a thoughtful, receptive mood when you flock to the Museum of Modern Art October 5-16 for its retrospective of the films of Marlen Khutsiev. I’ve only seen his July Rain, which is quintessential Soviet thaw cinema. Most of his films aren’t available on DVD, so you need to be there.
And to top it all off, Khutsiev, NINETY-ONE YEARS OLD, is working on a new film and is coming to New York City to be interviewed at MOMA!!
Isn’t it time, now that Trump has pledged to accelerate humanity’s race to extinction, that Hillary started making the environment a campaign issue?
Speaking of S.N. Behrman, I was thinking of his Portrait of Max as I wrote my biography of Alla Osipenko. Behrman foregrounds his friendship with Max Beerbohm, drama critic and humorist and just highly interesting individual. I don’t quite foreground my interviewer-interviewee relationship with Osipenko, but it’s an important part of the book.
I was also thinking of Mitch Albion’s Tuesdays with Morrie! In the sense of chronicling regular visits to a senior inspiring person. So I had to sign and send the book to David Black, who’s Albion’s agent as well as representing a lot of other top authors. As well as being my nursery-school-playground playmate. David’s the son of Hillel Black, who’s had a long and extraordinary career in publishing, and he and my Dad were college friends. And we were also, as very young tykes, neighbors in Jackson Heights, Queens. Still looking for that picture of us in crepe-paper capes in the playground. . .
Didn’t know that Hilly had just died last February. Donations in his memory may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center–that tells you something.
Since summer now extends into what was once fall, how appropriate that the Metropolitan Playhouse down on East Fourth Street revives S.N. Behrman’s 1936 End of Summer beginning October 7. Behrman’s one of our greatest playwrights, but his work isn’t as often seen as it should be. Just happened to re-read this particular play, however, not too long ago, so I feel synchronized. Like last year’s The Awful Truth, End of Summer originally starred Ina Claire. In his autobiography, Behrman mentions owning a recording of a performance she gave of his 1931 Biography. . . where is it now?
In End of Summer, the Claire character almost falls for a strong man, a shrink with definite fascistic tendencies. Relevant in 1936–relevant this election season.
It’s been a long, long time since I first went to Staten Island for one of the riotous parties she threw in her parents’ historic old home.
It’s even been a long time since I last saw her, at a memorial tribute to Fred Koury, past principal of City-as-School when we were both there in the 1970s.
But last month we had a great catch-up conversation.
Now she works at the NYC Department for the Homeless, and she’s restoring the family home. Her parents are gone, but she’s established in her mother’s honor the Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship Fund. Its mission is “to encourage grass-roots activism by underwriting the cost for students in programs which train for community organizing, or political candidacies.”
